Category: Reviews

Karcher’s industrial steam cleaner is a slightly different animal than most of the industrial steam cleaners we encountered. This is the big vapour steam cleaner in the arena, and has an operational time that far surpasses anything else we reviewed. With over 4.6 litres of water capacity in its twin tanks, we clocked the maximum usage time at just over 1.5 hours. Compared to most steam cleaners, this number is in a league all its own. At 3.2 bar pressure, it is not setting any records compared to Polti’s Eco Pro 3.0. That being said, with double the operating time, it is ideal for industrial cleaning where the goal is to cover as much ground as possible, rather than to blast the extremely thick dirt, grease and oil.

With assorted attachments, a 2.7 meter long hose and a 4 meter reach, this bad boy will do everything you need it to and more. We found it great for medium-level sterilizing and sanitizing and for covering large areas without the need to refill and re-heat the water, making it very useful for large-scale projects.

The one major fault we had with the machine was the price. Set in a weight class all alone, this machine is priced to match and is probably more than we would consider paying just for the usage time alone when there are more powerful vapour steam cleaners on the market for much more reasonable prices. That being said, every machine has an ideal use, and this one is no different. If you need a lot of light and medium-scale industrial cleaning, this is your best bet.

What We Love:

– The longest run time of any machine we tested by far
– Powerful enough to handle most industrial messes
– Has a long reach for overhead jobs

What Could Be Improved:

– Very expensive compared to other industrial steam cleaners
– Can be very heavy when fully loaded
– Not as powerful as other models we reviewed

Designed as a lightweight option to traditional vapour steam cleaners, this pocket steam cleaner features 3 bar pressure and a handy shoulder strap for convenience when moving throughout your home.

It is extremely affordable when compared to full-size steam cleaners, and is powerful enough to get most standard cleaning jobs done without hassle. It you want an easy-to-use pocket steam cleaner for your home, this may be the right choice for you.

The Good:

The Polti Vaporetto Pocket Steam Cleaner was developed with flexibility and mobility in mind while retaining the power of a traditional vapour steam cleaner. It is very powerful for its’ moderate size and performs as well as any other vapour steam cleaner we tested. It is a bit underpowered for a vapour steam cleaner at 3 bar pressure, but this is to be expected from a product of its size.

It holds enough water to be effective for about 25 to 30 minutes and although this might be a shorter amount of time than many steam cleaners on the market, it is made easier by the shoulder strap that comes with it. This strap allows you to carry the Pocket with you anywhere you go, making cleaning significantly easier. It also means you are not stuck moving the boiler across the floor while you are cleaning.

The great part of the Pocket is that it allows you the mobility to clean hard-to-reach areas of your home without having to worry about how long the steam hose can extend. We found it very useful when cleaning windows, upholstery and tiled or hardwood floors as it puts out enough steam to be effective yet doesn’t drench the cleaning area. The attachments that come with the Pocket are designed to be used in tight, closed in areas. You have the option of choosing between a large floor brush for wide areas or a smaller floor brush for concentrated spot cleaning. Overall, it is a very flexible and powerful yet mobile vapour steam cleaner.

The Bad:

Although the Pocket is powerful for its size, this does not make it powerful when compared to the majority of vapour steam cleaners. At 3 bar pressure, it has decent power to get through messes but is underpowered compared to other vapour steam cleaners. A big problem we had with the Pocket is that it contains no carpet gliding option. This seemed to be a trend among the vapour steam cleaners, but it is still a problem when carpeted areas are difficult to clean with steam power.

In addition to the issues surrounding power and usefulness, the Pocket also struggles with run time. Unlike most vapour steam cleaners, the Pocket has difficulty operating for more than 25 minutes at full pressure. This is largely due to its reduced tank size to make it more portable.

Although this makes it lighter and easier to use, it also means regular refills are mandatory. Luckily, it has a continuous steam mechanism which makes refills quick and means there is no heat-up period to wait for. It also requires 2 hands to carry unless you are using the shoulder strap to sling it over your shoulders.

What We Love:

– Extremely lightweight
– Designed for carrying/shoulder strap
– Powerful for its size
– Very flexible and mobile

At 4.5 bar pressure, this powerful Polti steam cleaner is ready for anything you throw at it. 2L water tank capacity means you can cover your entire home without constant refills, and the range of attachments that come with the device make it ideal for total house cleaning, regardless of the scope of the job or the intensity of the cleaning required. The runtime of this device is 45 minutes – more than enough time to handle just about any steam cleaning you need to handle.

The Good:

The Polti Vaporetto Eco Pro 3.0 has a lot of amazing features that we loved while we were testing it. To start with, the Eco Pro 3.0 features one of the largest water tanks of any steam cleaner we tested, and the resulting run time is simply ridiculous. We operated it for over 90 minutes and still had steam to spare. It is also one of the most powerful steam cleaners we tested at 4.5 bar pressure. This made it a dream to operate since it could be used in the toughest scenarios and still pull through without any difficulty whatsoever.

In fact, the Eco Pro 3.0 is ideal for the toughest cleaning jobs you can think of since it uses a lot of water when producing steam. At 110 grams per minute, it destroys every other steam cleaner on the market. We found it to be great for outdoor work as well as indoor, with car engines, wheel rims and barbeques being some objects we tested it on. With multiple attachments for any specialized task you can think of, the Eco Pro 3.0 was designed to tackle every cleaning task easily and efficiently.

The Bad:

Although there are very few negatives we can say about the Eco Pro 3.0, it does have some shortcomings. The key problem we had with it was that it does not come with a carpet gliding attachment for use on carpeted floors. Given the multitude of tasks it can handle without any problems this may seem relatively minor, but we would have liked to see it so we could tackle large carpeted areas. It is still a very effective spot cleaning option for carpets, however.

The other issue that a homeowner might run across with the Eco Pro 3.0 is its water output. Although it is designed to be used with upholstery and fabric, the sheer amount of water it produces may leave many fabric surfaces damp after cleaning is complete. In the short term this is fine as it will kill dust mites and allergens, but over the long term this will distort and break apart fabrics, especially if they are used frequently after cleaning occurs. However, if you take care to let the fabrics dry before use, this will not be a significant problem.

What We Love:

– Extremely powerful
– Very long runtime
– Powers through any mess you put in front of it
– Lots of attachments for specialized jobs

What Can Be Improved:

– Can be heavy when fully filled
– Produces too much steam for viable use on fabrics
– No carpet glider attachment
– Carrying strap not recommended for elderly

Featuring 3.5 bar pressure and the seal of approval from the British Allergy Foundation, the Vaporetto Go is a great choice for cleaning allergens out of your home and ensuring your surfaces are sanitized. We particularly like the shoulder strap attachment which allows you to make the device portable and transport it with you while performing your daily cleaning. This eliminates the traditional problem of transporting vapour steam cleaners around your home, and makes cleaning a breeze.

The Good:

We found the Polti Vaporetto Go to be a great multi-purpose steam cleaner capable of tackling significant messes in nearly any situation. It is one of the few steam cleaners we tested to have specific attachments designed for outdoor use. Pieces such as the Lance and window-washer attachments made easy work of concentrated grime on outdoor surfaces and windows respectively. Additional attachments such as the Spatula came in particular use when it came to lifting caked-on messes from ovens or mud from tiled floors. We really enjoyed the wide spectrum of attachments which all functioned flawlessly.

The Go is specifically designed to handle floors easily and effectively. For the price, there is no better steam cleaner when it comes to covering tiled or hardwood floors. Bathrooms and kitchens are also a breeze as grout can be cleaned easily using the grout brush attachment. The device features a decent run time at over 25 minutes, and is pretty light and flexible. The continuous steam function allows you to refill the water and immediately get back to cleaning. The Go is an excellent addition to any cleaning arsenal.

The Bad:

Although we loved using the Go, it did not excel in every criteria we set out. Although it seems to have an attachment for nearly every task you can think of, it does not feature a carpet glider, which makes cleaning carpets incredibly difficult. Although it can be used for fabric and upholstery, this is not the ideal use for the Go. We found many other vapour steam cleaners that could handle this task more efficiently. The limited water tank also means that regular fill-ups will be required in order to cover the surface area of a large home.

The Go does not have a particularly long hose which means coverage can be a bit difficult when attempting to clean larger rooms. At 6 Kg (before water), it is also one of the heavier vapour steam cleaners we tested. Although it is fairly mobile, this is a consideration if you do not wish to move heavy items while cleaning.

What We Love:

– Enormous selection of attachments
– No heat-up time
– Can be used in almost every room of the house
– Strong enough for medium/heavy messes

What Can Be Improved:

– More costly than steam mops and handheld steam cleaners
– Can’t be used on carpets and not ideal for upholstery
– More cumbersome than steam mops and handheld steam cleaners

The Polti Vaporetto Smart Airplus steam cleaner is a great little steam cleaner designed with easy use and full-home cleaning flexibility in mind. There are plenty of attachments which let you cover all areas of your home from tiled floors to carpets and upholstery. Polti’s dry steam technology means you get the deep clean you want without any leftover water residue on your floors. It is particularly effective at killing unwanted bacteria and removing allergens from your home.

The Good:

The Polti Vaporetto Smart Airplus Steam Cleaner functions as a fairly powerful vapour steam cleaner whose primary selling points are its run time and affordability. We particularly enjoyed the 1.6 L water tank as it allowed us to run the Smart Airplus for over 45 minutes in a single setting, making cleaning faster since it does not require any refills. Even if a refill was required, the continuous steam system heats the water up so quickly that you do not have to pause for the water to re-heat. This makes the Smart Airplus an excellent choice for the homeowner that wants to complete their everyday cleaning as efficiently and quickly as possible.

In addition to the run time, we found the water output of the Smart Airplus to be an excellent choice for cleaning hard surfaces such as countertops, tiled floors, bathrooms and kitchens. It comes with a huge number of attachments which are specialized to different tasks around the home including windows, grout and floors. There are multiple sizes of brush attachments for full floor coverage or for tight work in the corners. On of the benefits of the Smart Airplus is that it contains a fragrance dispenser that can be used while you clean, leaving the room smelling fresh after it has been sanitized. We found it to be a nice touch and not one that many steam cleaners provide. Finally, the biggest plus for us regarding the Smart Airplus is its price. It costs about the same as a traditional steam mop, but features much more power and run time, and has the same level of flexibility with regards to steam cleaning tasks it can take on.​

The Bad:​

The Polti Vaporetto Smart Airplus is a good vapour steam cleaner, although there are some improvements we would make to it. For one, the 3 bar pressure it provides is merely an industry average, which results in average cleaning power. It functions well for everyday cleaning, but outdoor cleaning such as car wheels, barbeques and sidewalks or driveways are out of the question. It is also missing a carpet glider, making it a difficult tool to use with regards to carpets. It can still spot clean stains but for everyday cleaning, you should get a different steam cleaner if your house features primarily carpet.

One other issue we found while testing the Smart Airplus is that it kicks out 85 grams of steam per minute. This is higher than many other steam cleaners on the market. Although this makes it ideal for tackling tough grease on tiled surfaces, it also means that it will struggle to produce dry steam which is ideal for use on upholstery and fabrics. It can still be used on these surfaces, but it will leave behind a lot of water which will damage furniture if it is used immediately after cleaning. Despite these shortcomings, we found it to be an excellent everyday vapour steam cleaner.

What We Love:​

– Built for everyday cleaning
– Fragrance dispenser is a nice touch
– Great at removing allergens from your home
– Long run time
– Very affordable

What Could Be Improved:

– No carpet glider
– Shouldn’t be used on upholstery or fabrics
– Does not have the power to get through really tough messes

These Polti devices have impressed us for years and we want to pass on the benefit of our experience to you so you can maximize your effectiveness when you clean your home. With less bacteria, dust and allergens floating around, you can rest assured that not only will you have to clean less often, but your home will be safer for your loved ones too.

The Polti Vaporetto 950 is a terrific medium-strength vapour steam cleaner that does everything you ask of it and more. At 3.5 bar pressure, it has enough steam power to clean out the tougher dirt and grime in your home, yet remains gentle enough to treat fabrics, furniture and upholstery without concern for its long-term well-being. As with other Polti devices, it comes with a series of attachments that allow you to take care of the majority of household tasks without any issues.

The Good:

The Polti Vaporetto 950 is a medium-power vapour steam cleaner that has been developed to be as cost-effective as possible. We were particularly impressed with the power it was able to deliver with 3.5 bar pressure. This places it above most comparable steam cleaners on the pressure front, since the industry average for vapour steam cleaners is 3 bar pressure. The 950 therefore produces more power and is able to tackle tougher messes than most vapour steam cleaners on the market. It comes with a number of attachments that are specially designed to tackle different types of jobs such as windows, countertops, grout and tiled floors. It has a run time of about 30 to 35 minutes, which we found is typically enough to cover the majority of a small home.

The main selling point of the 950 is that it provides a lot of power for a very affordable price. It is about 3 times less expensive than most traditional vapour steam cleaners, yet showcases more power than the majority of them. Due to the pressure and the system it uses, the 950 produces an excellent dry steam stream, meaning it can easily be used for upholstery and fabrics, or to spot clean carpets. It was designed to be an entry-level vapour steam cleaner to help homeowners make a decision as to whether a steam cleaner is necessary for their everyday cleaning. We think it functions well, and if taken care of, will last for years and work flawlessly each time.

The Bad:

Although there is nothing inherently “bad” about the 950, it does come with some drawbacks. It does not feature the same continuous steam function as many vapour steam cleaners, meaning that it has to be shut down to be refilled and then allowed to re-heat in order to produce steam. This adds time to your cleaning regimen, although it is typically ready to go within 3 or 4 minutes after a refill. In terms of mobility, the 950 does not feature a shoulder strap or harness. This means that mobility may be an issue if you have to reach high corners in your room.

One other issue we had with the 950 is that it does not come with a carpet gliding attachment. This means that it is difficult to use effectively over large carpeted surfaces, which limits its potential usefulness to homeowners with carpeted homes. By and large, it works very well for the jobs it was designed for – tiled surfaces, windows, kitchens and bathrooms.

What We Love:

– More powerful than most vapour steam cleaners
– Very efficient at jobs it is designed for
– Pretty good run time for the size of the water tank
– Extremely well-priced
– Good general purpose steam cleaner

The Polti Vaporetto Comfort is a vapour steam cleaner which specializes on dry steam – an aspect of steam cleaning designed for use with fibres and fabrics which limits the amount of water used for the cleaning process, thereby keeping furniture, upholstery and clothing intact for longer, regardless of cleaning method.

It functions equally well when used on tiled or hardwood floors, and features child-safety locks so you don’t have to worry about your children playing with a potentially dangerous cleaning tool.

The Good:

The Polti Vaporetto Comfort Steam Cleaner was designed with user experience in mind. It is very small and compact, making it ideal for easy storage and for quick or everyday cleaning needs. It also features a very useful accessory storage compartment, meaning the entire device can be stored in the corner of a closet with ease. Speaking of accessories, the Comfort brings over 8 distinct and specialized attachments designed for everything from windows to upholstery. Despite its small size, it produces 3 bar pressure which is sufficient for most cleaning needs you are likely to have in your home.

A huge point we would bring up regarding the Comfort is that it is extremely affordable for a vapour steam cleaner. At about half the price of the typical steam mop, you get a vapour steam cleaner with twice the power and run time, making cleaning a much easier proposition. It has a 1.6 L water tank which means fewer refills and the ability to complete your entire cleaning list in one sitting. It is also very light and mobile, making it the perfect steam cleaner for apartments and lofts.

The Bad:

Although the Comfort has a lot going for it, it loses out when it comes to power and flexibility. Although it can run for up to an hour on a single tank of water, the steam it produces has lower pressure than many comparable vapour steam cleaners. It is light but the addition of water will make it fairly heavy once full. It also does not feature a carpet glider, making it unable to tackle large carpeted areas. We also do not suggest it for outdoor use.

In addition, the steam hose does not extend as far as many other vapour steam cleaners on the market. It is light and can produce significant power for everyday tasks like cleaning tiled floors, but it is found to be lacking with regard to carpets and upholstery, since it uses a lot of water. Lastly, with regard to storage, we found it very frustrating that the power cord was not retractable. Although the attachments store very easily within the compartment the power cord can get in the way of other items within your closet.

What We Love:

– Perfect for tiled floors, countertops and windows
– Very easy to store
– Very long run time
– Dry steam technology leaves surfaces dry after cleaning

What Can Be Improved:

– Not as powerful as many other vapour steam cleaners
– Power cord does not retract
– Great for everyday cleaning, not great for outdoors or carpets
– No carpet glider attachment

Even though the Polti Vaporetto Evolution features 4 bar pressure – already more powerful than most vapour steam cleaners on the market – it is also the future in terms of energy use and eco-friendly cleaning. Not only does this machine have no need for chemicals and cleaning products to help it get the grime out of your home, it also uses 20% less energy meaning your home is chemical-free, and you are saving on energy costs as well.

The Good:

Since steam cleaners are all about green cleaning, cost and efficiency, the Polti Vaporetto Evolution stuck with us as an ideal vapour steam cleaning option. It is designed to be energy efficient, drawing 20% less power than any of the other vapour steam cleaners we tested. Although it uses less energy than most other vapour steam cleaners, it also features 4 bar pressure. This places it above the majority of steam cleaners we tested and allows it to cut through just about any mess you put in front of it. With a 1.7 L water tank, the operating time of the Evolution is longer than most vapour steam cleaners on the market.

The Evolution also comes with a set of specialized cleaning tools which can used on any surface from windows to grout. The big selling point is that it is one of the few vapour steam cleaners that produces dry steam. This means you can use it on any kind of fabric or upholstery and leave the surface dry after cleaning has taken place, which is a rarity in the steam cleaning industry. It comes with large and small brush attachments which can be used for your large and concentrated cleaning needs, respectively.

The Bad:

The Evolution is a terrific vapour steam cleaner. However, it does have some shortcomings. For one, it can become very heavy when it is fully filled with water. It is weighted at 9 Kg before water is added, making it one of the heavier products we tested. It is specifically designed to handle indoor messes, but it is not built to tackle outdoor cleaning such as for cars or outdoor windows due to its limited reach. Although we do not expect steam cleaners to handle outdoor tasks, it is always a bonus if they do.

Another setback of the Evolution is that it requires a significant amount of time to heat-up for steam production. We clocked it at about 6 minutes, although it has been reported to take upwards of 10 minutes. This is not a deal-breaker in and of itself, but it is problematic if you have to perform a refill during your cleaning. It’s unlikely this will ever be necessary, however, since the 1.7 L water tank holds enough to operate for up to an hour. Lastly, as with many vapour steam cleaners, the Evolution does not offer a carpet gliding attachment, making it problematic when tackling large sections of carpet.

What We Love:

– Very powerful steam jets
– Run time surpasses most vapour steam cleaners on the market
– Great at energy conservation

What Can Be Improved:

– Heavier than we’d like to see in a vapour steam cleaner
– No carpet glider attachment
– Might require more refills depending on coverage required

Polti steam cleaners have generated a reputation for powerful vapour steam cleaners in the last several years, and remain one of the top producers of all vapour steam cleaners in the world. They specialize in vapour steam cleaners and have many products available on the market. Unlike many other brands we have reviewed, they showcase very few steam mops and handheld steam cleaners. Although the products Polti manufactures are larger and more cumbersome than your traditional steam mops and handhelds, these vapour steam cleaners are much more powerful and reliable their their general-purpose cousins.

To help you decide if Polti is the right brand for you I recommend that you spend some time reading the reviews below of each model to give you a better look into advantages and disadvantages of each machine. There is no one size fits all when deciding as it will massively depend on what you intend on using it for, for example, if you want to use it to clean your kitchen cupboards you’re going to want a different machine than if you wanted to use it for upholstery. So decide what you are going to use it for the most and what key characteristics you want. We have summarised some of the main advantages of each machine in the table below but if you like the looks of a specific machine you can read a more in-depth review by clicking the orange button that says ‘jump to review’.

As you can see from the pictures Polti favour two designs, one designed with a caddy and a handle much like henry hoovers. At first I was worried that they would be hard to maneuver but I didn’t run into that issue and quite liked the fact that I didn’t have to carry the weight of the whole unit while cleaning like some units where you have a strap around your back.

The other design is one that you carry the unit in one hand and the steamer in the other, again I had no issues with Polti’s design and it really comes down to personal preference, an elderly lady I know prefered the first design where as my mother prefered the second. What I also like is the large selection of accessories that you can pick from which are easily replaced if need be, each specialised accessory just makes the overall job of cleaning your house that little bit easier as often they will have something specific for the job you are wanting to do.

All in all these Polti devices have really impressed us for years and is a brand we are happy to recommend to you. We feel that they are a great entry point for the vapour style machines, they suit a variety of budgets with the cheapest being around £70 going all the way to £200+.

We hope that our reviews are informative and help you to decide which cleaner to buy, we want to pass on the benefit of our experience to you so you can maximize your effectiveness when you clean your home. With less bacteria, dust and allergens floating around, you can rest assured that not only will you have to clean less often, but your home will be safer for your loved ones too.

Shark has become a name synonymous with steam cleaning over the last few years, with products ranging from small handheld steam cleaners to large-scale industrial steam cleaning products. Since it is well-known and something our readers are likely to come across fairly regularly, we thought we would introduce a couple of Shark products as examples of the excellent value this brand provides.

Although Shark produces many different kinds of steam cleaners for both home and industrial use, there are a few specific products we wish to highlight as they are the most likely to provide value to you in the form of your daily cleaning needs. These Shark steam cleaning mops are great options when it comes to first-time buyers since they provide the reliability and flexibility needed to ensure your cleaning needs are met without being outrageously expensive.

Power and Flexibility

Shark steam mops are notorious for their ability to produce powerful steam power in a fairly compact system. They produced significant steam power during each of our tests and performed extremely well when compared to other steam mop products. While they are not more powerful than the high-end steam mops on the market, they make up for this by being reasonably priced and being well put-together.

Cost-Effectiveness

When it comes to mid-range steam mops, there are few brands that compete with Shark products. They have double benefits in that they are fairly inexpensive, but perform comparably to higher-end models. We do not suggest Shark products as a first-time purchase only because they are more expensive than many “entry-level” products we have reviewed. We suggest starting with more affordable options to determine whether steam mops are a good fit for your home cleaning needs.

Well-Manufactured

Shark products are universally heralded as some of the best-built products on the market. In this they come short of industrial steam cleaners like Efbe-Schott, but outperform almost all other brands. They have a reputation for being built to last and can take punishment better than most products. We agree with this assessment as we always felt the steam mops and handheld attachments had more to offer than we demanded of them.

Surpasses Expectations

When it comes to steam cleaning, there are very few “miracle workers”. In other words, any form of cleaning will always require some elbow grease and steam cleaners are no exception. However, Shark steam mops were regularly able to surpass our expectations in their performance. This can primarily be attributed to their steam power and versatile handheld attachments which made them ideal for tackling everyday messes in every environment we tested them in.

We would strongly suggest picking up a Shark steam cleaner when you have determined steam cleaning is the way you want to go. They are a bit more pricey than many products on the market, but they will work well from Day 1 and continue until you no longer have use for them.